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By The Numbers: Mike Green

by
Dana Wakiji
/ Detroit Red Wings

By The Numbers will highlight the Red Wings on-ice accomplishments in the 2015-16 season. Each week during the off-season, By The Numbers will profile a different player on the team, focusing on their statistical highs. This week we focus on defenseman Mike Green.

Mike Green played in his 600th game on Dec. 14 at home against rookie Jack Eichel (15) and the Buffalo Sabres. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Detroit Red Wings)

It was a new experience for Green this season as he spent his first season with the Red Wings after spending the previous 10 with the Washington Capitals.

Originally, coach Jeff Blashill wanted to pair Green with Danny DeKeyser, but early injuries to both players prevented that from happening. Later in the season, Green and Brendan Smith seemed to work well together.

"I think there is chemistry there," Smith said late in the season. "I think we’ve played well together. He has a lot of skill and he helps my game. A lot of people talk about this … he’s being very offensive and I’m offensive but we both play 200 (feet), the whole ice, so we feed off each other and we’ve learned each other and we’ve learned each other’s tendencies and that’s the biggest thing as a D-partner. I think that’s why we’ve been good together."

2 | Before joining the Red Wings, Green had played for just one other NHL team, the Washington Capitals. The Capitals drafted Green in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2004 NHL draft.

600 | Green played in his 600th game on Dec. 14 at home against the Buffalo Sabres. He finished the season at 649 regular-season games, 575 of which came with the Capitals.

31 | Green became the 31st player in Wings' history to wear No. 25. Among the best-known Wings to have worn the number before Green include Darren McCarty, Dave Lewis and John Ogrodnick. Green wore No. 52 with the Capitals.

74 | Green played in 74 games for the Wings this season, the most he has played in the regular season since he played 75 games for the Capitals in the 2009-10 season. Green played in all 82 regular-season games for the Capitals in the 2007-08 season, his second full season in the league.

3 | Green tied captain Henrik Zetterberg for the most assists in a game, recording an assist on all three Detroit goals on March 8 at Columbus against the Blue Jackets. Zetterberg had three on opening night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.